sphynx cats

Hi! Long time, no talk! 🙂 I’ve been so busy – fall season always comes and goes by so quickly… I wish it hung around for longer! However, that also means some suuuuuper excited things are coming very soon – like next week soon, *wink wink* 🙂

Before we get into all the fun, I want to talk about a more serious topic. It seems like every year there’s something that needs clarifying – and today is that day of the year 2018. A couple of days ago I saw a post (or a comment rather) that made me quite upset. I am all good now, because some people will always talk nasty things, but if there’s one thing that I love it’s transparency. So, today we’re breaking down the cost of my sweaters, and exactly what you’re paying for when you buy one (thank you for buying! :)).

I always thought about making this kind of blog post, but what gave me the needed push was a comment on Facebook. I am a member of quite a few Sphynx related groups on Facebook, and in one of them somebody asked some cat clothing recommendations. About 99% of the time I don’t really jump to advertising myself, and this was no exception. However, I did the follow-up on the thread just to see what other people had to say. One person suggested to the author of the original post to take a look on Etsy, and she also added a screenshot of one person’s knitted cat sweater. I am familiar with that knitter, she’s amazing! Her sweater was €26 + the shipping costs. Then under that comment another lady comments: “Oh, that sweater must be made of a golden thread to cost this much”. The seller whose sweater costs €26 is from The Netherlands. The person who criticized? She’s from Lithuania, a small Baltic country, and she said she’s “proud of selling (weirdly made – in my opinion) acrylic sweaters for €15” (on top of that would come the shipping cost). Now, in case you’re wondering why the country matters… Lithuania is like 50% cheaper than The Netherlands or Finland where I live. And yes, what I am saying is accurate, because I spent a week traveling all around Lithuania in the summer of 2018. The yarn, the shipping… these things cost a fraction of what it does over here in Finland. If I had an opportunity to lower the prices, I absolutely would! Also, let’s not forget the currency exchange fees, PayPal fees, Etsy increasing it’s fees from 3.5% to 5%…

Now, let’s break down the costs behind the sweater that’s been in my shop for years – the cute rainbow:

I will be breaking down the costs of the sweater in size XS, which costs €32 (there’s no additional shipping costs).

Etsy takes off 5% seller’s fee, on top of that comes VAT, PayPal fee (if the person uses PayPal), currency exchange fee, etc. From a €32 sweater I’d normally pay about €3.00 in fees. And, of course, I still need to pay the income tax to the government, but let’s just skip that altogether.

Yarn that I use for this particular sweater is 75% wool & 25% polyamide, and 150g ball costs €7.95. In order to make size XS, I use about 100g of yarn. That would make the yarn costs €5.30. It takes about 3 hours to make the sweater from beginning to end, including sewing in all the loose ends. Average pay per hour in Finland is €10-13. I’ll take the average of €11 – that means I’d be paid €33 for 3 hours of work (which is already higher than the sweater cost itself). If the sweater has beads, the price increases by another €1 or so, depending on how fancy the beads/decorations are. After the sweaters are finished, they’re always prewashed, in order to make sure the colors don’t “bleed” and that the sweaters are super clean. Let’s add €0,50 for that.

After the sweater is dry, it’s time to package it up. I use wrapping paper, natural fiber thread, decorative tape and a big brown padded envelope. The costs of wrapping & shipping materials would make about €1. Again, I am not counting in the time spent on packing. On top of that I have printed care instructions & “Thank You” cards, so that adds about another €0.50.

Then I need to take a train to a different district as there’s no post office where I live. The ticket costs €2.40. Now, the biggest cost is the shipping. It’s OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive over here in Finland, and has risen about 20% since 2015, which is beyond scary. Anyhow, sweater in size XS weighs over 100g, usually about 112g. That means the shipping costs €12.50, if I ship outside Europe. And most of my clients come from countries like USA & Canada.

Now let’s add the costs:

€3.00+5.30+0.5+1+0.5+0.5+2.40+12.50=25.70.

And now my profit:

€32-€25.70=€6.30

So… this is how much my profit is from a €32 sweater: €6.30, meaning I get paid about €2/hour. Again, normal job in Finland pays €10-13/hour. This means I make way under hourly salary. That’s where the part of me loving what I do comes in – I absolutely love knitting, it helps me to relax and just turn off the brain from overthinking. Of course, it’s up to you if you’re willing to pay €32 for a handmade sweater that was made because someone loves what they do. But if you’re one of those people thinking that everyone makes thousands of dollars each month by overcharging, maybe you should rethink – most handmade businesses that are transparent don’t make more than what you’d earn doing average job.

I love when things are transparent, free and clear of all inhibition and judgement. – Pharrell Williams

Let’s be less judgemental and more understanding & loving towards one another. 🙂

Hi, everyone! It’s been couple of weeks, and it’s time for a new blog post! This one was planned already a week ago – I knew I will be writing about the new sweaters I will be adding to the shop (yep, it’s that time of the year already!). And I am writing about the sweaters I originally planned, just that they turned out to be… a fail. Yes, you heard me right – I am writing about the sweaters that failed, which also proves that not everything that looks good is actually practical.

Pretty in pink.

Curious.

So I got these super cute faux fur pompoms couple of months ago. They definitely were bigger than I thought when originally purchasing them, but I was like “Well, you know – go big, or go home! Bigger ones will look even cuter on the hoodies!”. And they DO look cute! However, they are very impractical simply because they’re too big, which results in them being too heavy.

Being lazy.

Oh, but what’s there?

What I mean by saying “too heavy” is that they would fall on the side of the cat’s neck, which means that the hood is in an uncomfortable position. It also would annoy the cat if they want to eat/drink. For this reason these sweaters definitely won’t be something I will be adding to my shop! Because even though they look cute, I wouldn’t be selling something I think is uncomfortable.

Not bothered by the hoodie falling in weird positions.

Activating playmode!

Everything is always tried out by my cats beforehand, and if I see that something annoys them, then it means it will most likely annoy other cats as well. I will definitely be making some kind of sweaters (maybe will stick with hoodies, just no pompoms?) from these green and pink yarns, cause they’re beautiful!

Thoughtful.

Typical Beliza – curious, but too lazy to do anything.

Hello, pompom, my old friend.

I hope you enjoyed some pictures of my cats and failed sweaters, haha! Talk to you very soon!

Hello! As always, Wednesday is here, and so is another blog post! Today we’re talking about dreams coming true – this product sure is Aether’s favorite thing that he “owns”. 😊 However, let’s not forget about the other 2 Sphynxes! Did it work for them? Let’s see, but first let’s get a little bit technical!

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

About the fountain. Catit Flower Fountain can hold up to 3 litres of water (about 100 fl oz/6 pints). It has a triple action filter, which removes magnesium, calcium, odours caused by bacteria and chlorine that can be found in tap water, and also retains stray hairs and any debris. Replacement filters are available for purchase, which is a great thing (a set of 2 filters costs €12.99 over here in Finland in Musti ja Mirri store). The fountain is made of plastic, but catit.com website claims that the plastics are BPA-free (BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics since 1960’s, and is associated with possible negative health effects on brain, behavior and prostate gland).

All parts of Catit Flower Fountain

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

Catit Flower Fountain, third flow option

There are 3 different flow options available, which you can see in the video below. My cats prefer the third option called “calm streams”. It is very easy to put together, and it also causes no problems when it comes to cleaning – it’s quick to take it apart, rinse, and dry; taking apart and cleaning takes under 5 minutes. Here’s Catit’s video about their Flower Fountain:

The price. Over here in Finland Catit Flower Fountain is available at Musti ja Mirri, and it costs €39.99. However, I bought it “used” (using the term “used” very loosely as the person bought it for their cat, she hated it and the person resold it) for €25. I think it’s definitely worth the price! I’ve had it for almost two months now, and it’s been working great. Also, it makes me feel better knowing that my cats drink cleaner, more fresh water.

Bacha trying to play with running water. 🙂

Aether is looking suspicious of the fountain.

Trying out the running water.

Finally getting it!

How did my cats react to it? Well, I KNEW Aether would love it (he loves running water), and he sure did! At first he was a bit suspicious, but a minute later he was onto it! Bacha tried to play with it at first, but now she’s loving the fresh water as well. Beliza doesn’t like it whatsoever. She’s what I call “an old fashioned grandma, who is grumpy at everyone and everything”. So true! 😊 Considering it’s such a hot summer, it makes me more than happy that 2 out of 3 Sphynxes drink more water than they would if I had only bowls available. It’s some food for thought for you as well – what could encourage you pet to drink more water? A fountain like this could be a great option! Another nice thing – while I am sitting at the computer and working, it’s very nice to listen to the sound of running water, so it’s a win-win situation!

Can’t stop drinking!

Got distracted for a bit, but still not going away!

It’s been almost two months, and still loving it!

I hope you liked this week’s blog post, and I’ll talk to you in couple weeks’ time again! Have a great week!

Hello! I hope your week wasn’t too harsh, and you’re ready for a quick dose of cats! As I mentioned in my last blog post, today I will talk about buying cat clothes, and how to make it an easy and positive experience. So let’s get into it, and see what things you should consider before buying cat clothes! 😊

Safety. Yes, I am starting with the most important one! And it is going to be a different kind of safety than what I spoke about in my last blog post. This time we will talk about the actual design of the shirt/sweater. A lot of the time I see sweaters that are covered in beads, little buttons, etc, from the bottom to the very top. Or sometimes sellers incorporate some beads in their cable knit that goes throughout the sweater. And it looks very beautiful! BUT! Have you ever thought that your cat can actually reach them? And chew on them/rip them off? Have you ever thought what would happen if the cat would swallow those beads? That’s one of the main reasons why I attach the buttons only at the neck using a special stitch, which: 1) it assures that the cat won’t be able to reach and chew on the beads/buttons, 2) the button is attached so strongly, that the sweater will wear out before the button comes loose (tried and confirmed by my cats!). So whenever you see something cute, think if it is also well thought through and safe for your pet, as that should always be your priority.

Always make sure that the clothes are not only cute, but also safe for your kitty!

Sleeves or sleeveless? Or maybe one opening for both legs? I talked about this a little bit in my last blog post, but this is my opinion in short: if it’s your first cat sweater or your cat is not comfortable in clothes, choose the sleeveless option. If your cat is OK with wearing clothes, you’re free to choose whatever you want. And what about one hole in front for both legs? That tends to be pretty comfortable as well, just like the sleeveless option, I have made sweaters with only one hole as custom orders before. But make sure that they’re made from a very stretchy material (like knit is, for example), otherwise your cat may and will feel restricted.

Always check a size chart. I can’t stress this enough – always check a shop’s size chart! Every single shop has a different one, and if in one shop you buy size M clothing for your pet, it does not mean that your pet will be size M in all the shops. Just an example – my sizes run big, so if your pet is a size M somewhere else, it’s a big possibility (s)he will be size XS or a S in my shop. If you check the reviews in my shop, you will see that most of those couple 1 star reviews that I have come from people complaining the sweater was too big/too small. That’s why you have to check a size chart! And this leads me to my next point.

Sleeveless sweater is always a good choice for beginner!

If your cat is in between sizes, request a custom order. Yes, that can happen, and it does happen quite often to be honest! Most shops do custom sizes, so feel free to ask about it. Never settle for an ill fitting clothing! I do custom sizes free of charge, while some shops may ask you to pay additional fee for making a custom size sweater.

When in doubt, ask. If you’re unsure about the sizing, always ask! Believe me, the seller will not think you’re silly or something! I know how difficult it can be to choose the perfect size. For example, when buying jeans, I always need to buy like 10 pairs at once and cross my fingers that 1 or 2 of them won’t fit weirdly! Similar is with cat clothes. Better safe than sorry!

Length of the sweater. You might have noticed that I do not put length of my sweaters in the size chart. And that is because I would need to adjust my size chart all the time, because I have so many designs! Some clothing is longer, while some is shorter, but overall most of my clothes are pretty long (I am pretty sure you can see that from the pictures! 😊 ). I always gladly adjust the length of the sweaters that are made to order, so if you’d like the sweater to be made longer or shorter (or maybe you have a specific length you want to request?), contact the seller and I am sure they will be more than happy to work on custom size for you.

Every design has a different length, so choose whatever you like the most. Or request a custom length – every pet is different and loves different things!

Difference between sewn and knitted cat clothes. If you had been shopping around for cat clothes, you may have noticed a few things: for one, those shops that sell hand knitted clothing have fewer items, and secondly, they’re often a bit pricier. And you may wonder why it is the way it is. As someone who lives in Finland – which is a pretty expensive country – I can give you a few points:

Yarn is often more expensive than fabric, especially fancy yarns like mohair or alpaca cost a lot more than a piece of fleece or jersey fabric.

Sewn clothes are significantly quicker to make. I am a quick knitter and I’m not that great at sewing, but even I can make a few sewn cat shirts in an hour. When it comes to knitting, depending on the sweater’s size and how intricate the pattern is, it can take up to 4 hours to complete a sweater. I am not talking about people, who use machines for knitting, but someone like me who hand knits and hand embroiders everything.

Super stretchy and soft acrylic sweater will make any kitty happy!

Should I go for knitted clothing or a fleece/jersey one? Now that depends on you completely! Knitted cotton clothing is great for summer, and wool or thick acrylic ones are great for winter. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I chose knitting over sewing mainly because knit is much more stretchy than fleece, meaning that it will be a lot more comfortable overall. Warmth wise, bot fleece and wool clothing are warm.

Check shop’s reviews. Yes, that is important. What is even more important, it’s how the seller deals with negative feedback. We all are cute and lovely when we’re being praised, but how does the seller handle the criticism? If the review is 3 stars or lower, the seller can and SHOULD have a response, because 3 stars is not an amazing review. In other words, the buyer wasn’t satisfied with their order. If the seller has 1-3 star reviews, and there are no responses under them as to how the seller is going to handle an unsatisfied customer, that’s a red flag! That means there’s a big chance that when you receive your order and in case you would be unhappy with it, you will be ignored, and nothing will be done about it from the seller’s side. Also, if seller does respond, check how polite and helpful their response is. You wouldn’t want to buy from someone who is rude/unhelpful.

Always check the reviews – they’re very important!

If there’s a problem with your order, always contact the seller first. Those few negative reviews I have in my shop were left without my knowledge. Person orders without looking at the size chart, the sweater arrives, it’s too small/too big, and the person leaves a negative review without ever even telling me about it. I mean, there’s no way for me to know whether the sizing the person orders fits their cat (only they know it), and if someone orders a size XS, for example, I make them a size XS and send it off. There’s no way of me knowing whether it is the true size of the cat or not. I always assume that the person checked the size chart, which is available in each listing, and if they had any questions, they’d contact me. I have a good return policy, which some people choose not to use, but leave a bad review and then even after I message them offering some options, they never respond. Oh well. So, don’t be that person, and be smart about it – you can always get your money back or the product that you originally wanted. 😊

The only problem Bacha has is too few cat toys!

And last, but not least – don’t forget to leave a review! Always reflect on your experience regarding the shop. Were the products up to par? Was the seller helpful? Did the seller do their best to solve issues if there were any? These are just few of the questions that may help you reflect on your experience, and help others decide whether it’s the shop they want to go for.

I hope this blog post was helpful! I have something fun planned for the upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned and have a great week ahead of you!

Hello, everyone! I hope you are doing well! In this post I will talk about what you can do if your cat hates pet clothes. A lot of the time I receive messages from customers, who even before receiving the sweater ask what is the best way to make sure the cat will love the sweater. And I am not surprised they ask it! I am sure we’ve all been in the situation where your cat becomes paralyzed, cannot run or jump, or is falling on the side while wearing a sweater. Yes, even one of my lovely cats, Beliza, who is now loving the warmth the sweater gives, was one of those cats. So how did she go from hating cat sweaters to enjoying and modelling them? Well, here’s some advice!

Lots of treats. Treats are the power, and you’re the one holding them! Cats love treats just as much as dogs do, and they can be used for a good purpose. When putting on and taking off the sweater, always be very affectionate towards the cat and give them their favorite treats. This way your lovely pet will associate wearing clothes with something positive, which is exactly what you want. A little bit off topic – still to this day I can’t understand why there are no freely available cat treats at the vet’s office? There always are treats for dogs, but never for cats. Double standards, considering cats need to associate the vet with something positive as well. We always take our own treats with us! 😊

My cats love wearing clothes! Over the years I figured out the best styles and materials that are stretchy and comfy. My cats not only feel comfortable wearing the clothes around the house when it’s chilly, but also modelling them. I think you can see how comfy they feel in these pictures! 😊

My cats love wearing clothes! Over the years I figured out the best styles and materials that are stretchy and comfy. My cats not only feel comfortable wearing the clothes around the house when it’s chilly, but also modelling them. I think you can see how comfy they feel in these pictures! 😊

Keep it short. If your cat isn’t used to cat clothes, don’t keep the sweater on for long. First time, put it on for 5 minutes, while giving affection and treats, like I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Next day you can prolong it by 5 minutes and keep the sweater on for 10 minutes total. Keep on repeating it until your kitty seems to be comfortable wearing the clothes. It may look like a bit of a hassle (believe me, it isn’t!), but it’s totally worth it.

Do something your cat enjoys while (s)he is wearing a sweater. Does your cat love a certain game? Or maybe (s)he has a favorite toy? Do something your kitty enjoys while they’re wearing pet clothing, and they will forget they even have it on! 😊

Before investing in good clothing, try out the sock. Now you may think: “Hey, aren’t you writing this article in order to make us buy your clothing?” While I appreciate each and every single person who supports me and my 3 cats, I would never trade my dignity or fairness. For this reason I will give you a simple advice – before going all out and spending hundreds of dollars on (hopefully) well made pet clothing, try out the oldie goldie sock. Just cut off the thumbs part, cut out two holes for the front legs, and ta da – you got yourself a simple kitty sweater! It’s great for training and also doesn’t cost a thing. You can also do the same trick with old shirt/sweater sleeve, it works just as well!

My cats love wearing clothes! Over the years I figured out the best styles and materials that are stretchy and comfy. My cats not only feel comfortable wearing the clothes around the house when it’s chilly, but also modelling them. I think you can see how comfy they feel in these pictures! 😊

Always keep an eye on your pet. I personally have never ever heard anything happening to cats while wearing clothes that fit them well, but I always say: better safe than sorry! For this reason I always suggest not leaving your kitty alone for longer periods of time while they’re wearing clothes. You have no idea, how many times I’ve heard people be like “Oh, I buy from this or that seller, they make clothes for cats, and I am leaving my pets alone for the whole day while I’m at work; (s)he makes clothes for cats specifically, so nothing will ever happen, I feel safe leaving my pet like this”. Honestly, this makes me really angry, because IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO MADE THE CLOTHING FOR YOUR CAT OR IF THE CLOTHING IS MEANT SPECIFICALLY FOR CATS – THINGS CAN HAPPEN ANYWAY. I personally think it’s irresponsible to leave your pet completely alone for a very long period of time while wearing pet clothing/accessories. Let me tell you a quick story as to why I have such a strong opinion regarding things like this.

When I was a kid, maybe 12-13 y/o, we had a cat we loved a lot. And because we loved her, we’d buy her cute accessories, including collars, that are MEANT FOR CATS. That was until one day our lovely kitty decided to climb up the tree as we would let her out to the yard. It was a beautiful day, so she was outside, and I was near her just talking to my dad. Suddenly I saw this happen: our beloved cat climbs up the tree branch, slips, her collar gets stuck on the branch and she hangs on that branch choking. I ran to her as soon as I could, grabbed her and tried to get her loose, but she was stuck. She was in shock and didn’t know what to do, and she ended up grabbing and biting my wrist (I still have the scars to this day). It was a bloodbath! Thankfully my father had a pocket knife with him, and he managed to cut off the collar. By the time we freed her, the cat was unconscious, so my mom performed a CPR, and thankfully she was able to revive her, and the kitty was fine afterwards, just very shook for a while. And so was I – I was literally traumatized for life after this. Now I do not put any collars on my cats (only sometimes for photoshoots, when they’re sitting still), and for this reason I am extremely cautious with clothes as well. Like I mentioned before – I have never heard anything happen to cats while wearing clothes, and I would prefer it to stay that way!

Start with sleeveless sweaters. Sleeveless sweaters give more freedom than the ones with sleeves. It does not matter how well the sleeves are put in, sleeveless ones will always be more appropriate for a first time wearer. Not having the sleeves also gives less coverage, which is great for a kitty that’s not used to wearing clothes.

Sleeveless clothes are always good for starters! 🙂

Make sure the fabric is stretchy. One of the reasons I knit clothes is not only because I love it, but also because they’re one of the most stretchy things you will come by! While fleece is nice and soft, it is nowhere near as stretchy as knit fabric. That’s one of the reasons why my handknitted sweaters also have no seams – I try to make the sweaters as less bulky as possible, because every little bit counts. Especially if you own some active cats like I do!

I hope you liked this week’s blog post! Next time I will talk about the process of buying cat clothes and how to choose the most suitable ones for your kitty’s needs. Have a great day everyone!

Hi, everyone! I hope you’re doing great! This blog post was written a little bit impromptu, because I was planning to write on a different topic, but yesterday I was doing a little bit of shopping, and decided to visit Flying Tiger. While over there, I noticed something I thought was quite hilarious – pet food catapult! On the package they show a dog as an example, but I was wondering if it would work for cats as well. It’s called “Pet food catapult” after all! I just HAD to try it out. Let’s see how it went!

Price. It was cheap, just like most things in Flying Tiger – I paid €4 for the pet food catapult.

Looks & how it works.It’s made of plastic, and the front part (the little see-through part) comes off easily with a little twist, so it’s easy to clean and/or load the catapult with pet food. Then you simply push down the black button (see the picture) and press the black button next to it to “shoot” the food in the air.

How my cats reacted to it. Well, the thing is that they didn’t. But no, really! They could not care less about the food flying out of that catapult. They were sitting in front of me with those huge eyes asking for treats, but they just couldn’t understand that the food was flying out of the catapult and they need to go pick it up. I loaded it with quite big cat treats (Dreamies to be precise), but I think the main issue was that the food would fly out at a very high speed, and the cats simply wouldn’t notice it. If the treats landed on the floor, they’d react to the noise it made, but that’s all.

Some final thoughts and is it worth it. It’s hard to say whether it’s worth it or not. All of my cats didn’t understand it, but maybe they’re just not very smart, haha! 😀 It was only €4, so I don’t feel robbed, and, well, cats are beings that are very picky in general. It did not work for my cats at all, but it MAY work for your cat. Or maybe it works only for dogs. Or maybe it works for some pets only, while it also may not work at all. If you feel like trying it out – give it a go, but I personally won’t be using it.

After making a snowsuit last year, throughout the year I kept on receiving some requests on making another one. Unfortunately, most of the time I was too busy to take on a project like that and people just weren’t willing to wait. However, after my little vacation I was contacted by one lady, who wanted a cute blue snowsuit for her little kitty due to the fact that she’s so small and gets cold easily. I had some free time, so… why not? Here’s the result!

This snowsuit has 2 layers of knit instead of fleece inner layer. The main reason for this is that knit offers so much more flexibility and lets the kitty to move more easily. Fleece doesn’t have as much stretchiness, and even though it’s very warm & soft, it might restrict the movement of the cat, especially when it comes to something as thick as the snowsuit.

In the front the snowsuit has a zipper and 3 paw buttons, just like the previous one. It also has holes for the harness and tail. The hood is also casual and is there more for the style than function – the kitty has fur, so she didn’t need her head or tail to be very well covered. This snowsuit also has waterproof fabric on the paws, so that kitty’s paws wouldn’t get all wet, cold and uncomfortable.

It was also easier to make this snowsuit than the previous one as I already had some experience and more knowledge. Also, it didn’t require as much sewing, so it was definitely quicker to make. Overall I really liked making it and would probably consider doing it again in the future!